Carrington, New South Wales

Infobox Australian Place | type = suburb
name = Carrington
city = Newcastle
state = nsw


caption = Carrington Hydraulic Power Station, built in 1877 is its most significant landmark.
lga = City of Newcastle
postcode = 2294
pop = 1791 (2006 census)
area = 1.4
est = 1860s
parish = Newcastle
propval = $275,000
stategov = Newcastle
fedgov = Newcastle
dist1 = 3
dir1 = NNW
location1= Newcastle
near-nw = Tighes Hill
near-n = Tighes Hill
near-ne =
near-w = Maryville
near-e = "Hunter River"
near-sw = Wickham
near-s = Newcastle West
near-se =

Carrington is a suburb of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia and is named after Lord Carrington, governor of N.S.W. in 1887 when the area was proclaimed a municipality. [ [http://www1.newcastle.nsw.gov.au/library/placea.cfm?FIRST=c Hunter Valley Place Names and their Meanings] ]

Origins

Carrington was known by Aboriginal people as the place of the mud crab "wuna-r tee". Early land use by Aboriginals was for fishing and gathering oysters and mud crabs. During the settlement of 1804, it was referred to as Chapman's Island and considered as a site for a gaol. [http://www.ncc.nsw.gov.au/discover_newcastle/discover_our_suburbs/carrington Newcastle City Council's, discover our suburbs] ]

Carrington is a testament to the white settlers' need to reshape the environment. Originally, the island was underwater at high tide and was slowly built up by ships dumping ballast and other reclamation work, which eventually saw the island grow out of the mud.

Carrington emerged as a residential suburb in the 1860s when many people moved to the island to escape the dirt and noise of the city or were forced off Honeysuckle Point as a result of land reclamation for port purposes. Early access to the island was by rowboat or punt across Throsby creek or on the Onebygamba express, a two-horse coach. There was also a footbridge from Honeysuckle at one point. Carrington was rich and progressive despite its relatively small size and was one of the few areas of Crown land close to Newcastle, the rest of the land in the area was owned by large companies or private individuals. Carrington was systematically sold off as it became more valuable.

In 1887 Carrington was constituted as a Municipality and the first council meeting was held on 1 June 1888. By 1900, the population was 2200, and Carrington had developed as a working class suburb and had a fearsome reputation. In the 1920s, steelworkers moved into the area, taking advantage of the proximity to the fledgling BHP works.

The Hydraulic Power Station, pictured, supplied power to a series of cranes which operated along 'The Dyke' loading ships with coal and other freight [Letter of Ken McCarthy, published in Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin, May, 1978 pp103-110] .

The Great Depression hit Carrington with a vengeance. In 1933 Carrington had up to 58% of wage earners either unemployed or in part time employ. A shanty town called "Texas" sprung up during the depression and provided shelter for many homeless and unemployed.

Today

Carrington is a mixed residential, commercial and industrial development that is physically separated from other suburbs. It is close to the harbour and CBD, services the Port and provides affordable housing. It is accessible by Cowper Street bridge over Throsby Creek. [cite book|title=Newcastle (22nd edition)|author=Gregory's|publisher=Universal Press|year=1999|id=ISBN 0-7319-1081-8|pages=Maps 298,318]

Gallery

External links

* [http://www.ncc.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/image/0015/8124/Carrington.jpgBasic map of Carrington]

References